Style Weekly
Richmond's alternative for news, arts, culture and opinion
Shinedown at the National
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While it would be pretty easy to write off the heyday of Scott Stapp's post-grunge outfit, Creed, for its heavy riffs and spiritually inspired, sung-from-a-cliff's-edge pretense, it's downright impossible to dismiss the influence of its straightforward, irony-deficient approach to rock when you listen to artists such as Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Saliva, Puddle of Mudd, Hinder and even “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry. Like its contemporaries, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Shinedown makes no concessions for its use of calculated, testosterone-fueled anthems and production-glossed power ballads. Critically lambasted, these guys are undoubtedly commercial geniuses, having identified their audience and what it wants with sick precision. Playing for the critics who matter. Shinedown performs at the National on Friday, Sept. 11, at 8 p.m. $26-$30. 612-1900. — Mike Hilleary
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